Vehicle having oscillating half axles



March 14, 1944.

o. WINKELMANN VEHICLE HAVING OSCILLATING HALF AXLES Filed Oct. 8, 1941 venced by the passengers absorbing the shocks totally or partially flexing due to large lifting movements of the turning these elements I Patented Mar. 14, 1944 umreo, *s'rArss PATENT orricr.

vmncna navmo oscnim'rmo nan" Otto Wink many; vested in the Alien Propert elmann, Stuttgart-Degerloch, Gery Custodian Application October 8, 1941, Serial No. 414,04 In Germany June 6, 1940 f 5 Claims.

The present invention provides an increase of the torsional elasticity between the axles of the vehicle to reduce the natural vibrations of the car system about its longitudinal axis, so'that the vibrating movementsare no longer experito be troublesome, but appear in the form of weak slowly occurring amplitudes. To this purpose the consisting more particularly of axles, is connected to the the interposition of elastic rubber buflersJn a manner to be elastically ropendulum half members, for instance "tatable about a longitudinal ,axis, the springs,

of shock absorption of the buffers being connected serving the purpose wheels, and the rubber one after the other (therefore in series) in the direction of the transmission of forces from the wheels to the car body. Hereby simultaneously the transmission of shocks and noisesfrom the wheels to the frame or the car body is prevented.

A further reduction of the oscillating phenomenons may be obtained by arranging the springs, of thewheels; in such a manner that they act as compensating springs,

oppositely directed or unequal wheels of a wheel axle without exerting upon the car body or the supporting member carrying the members guiding the wheel a force re- (direction force). The wheels for this purpose are thus arranged relatively to each other so that they mutually absorb their shocks.

By thetorsional elastic connection of the axle th "rest of the vehicle, however, the lifting action extertedupon the car body on lateral inclinations of the latter and thereby the inclination'of the car body when taking curves is reduced,

curves, however, the other be provided with an. addithis safety in taking axle preferably may 8X18 aggregate,

rest of the vehicle by' more particularly if compensating springsare provided at this axle. To increase ential gear casing, carrying axles or the like,

called balancer, aiding in maintaining upright the car body.

If it is, however, desirable to reduce only relatively slightly the lifting action exerted upon the car body by the axle torsionally elastically connected to the'rest' of the vehicle, or, if the torsional elasticity of the connection is sufflcient to remove the undesired oscillating phenomenons, the springs, absorbing the shocks of the wheels,

may also bear against the supporting member,

for instance a diflerential the pendulum half axles and torsionally elastically is connected to the rest of the vehicle. In this case, on lateral inclinations of the car body and thereby of the supporting member also with torsional elasticity gear, which carries provided between the suppo rest of the vehicle, the springs absorbing the shocks of the wheels also act in maintaining car body upright.

To eifect the the supporting member,

the pendulum half to the rest of the vehicle, preferably rubber rings of annular, oval ,or similar form or pneumatic devices, or other elastic members constructed and arranged in .such a manner are provided which particularly with the elements to be united together, are adhesively connected and eflect clusively in the direction of rotation about a longitudinal. axis, these resilient on elastic members preferably beingarranged in front and in rear of the oscillating or pendulum half axles.

In the accompanying drawing some constructions accordingto the invention are shown diagrammatically and by way of example.

In this drawing: I Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle frame pro-, vided with a rear axle aggregate torsionally elasthe frame and a front wheel suspension employing elevation of the rear axle agto Fig. 1, and

Fig. 2 is a rear gregate according Fig. 3' is a rear rear axle aggregate of the" construction shown in Fig. 1.

Connected to the frame a are the front wheels 12 and the rear wheels c which latter are mountpendulum half. axles d.

ed upon oscillating or These'half axles are linked to the vehicle. ,5 shown for instance in Fig. 3, by means 'of pivots e to the diflerential gear casing I. The latter is provided with projections a and h'directed fortorsiohal elastic connection of for instance 'the diflera-reslliency essentially or exe 7 an additional spring arrangement for setting upright the carriage body,

view of a: modification of the ,acting upon the shown-in Fig. 3 the which bears against a bearing wardly and rearwardly respectively which extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and are surrounded by rubber rings 1' and 1 respectively inserted in corresponding bearing eyes It and 1 respectively .of the frame. The rubber rings preferably are adhesively connected, for

instance by vulcanization, to inner and outer metal sleeves m and 11. respectively. The inner metal sleeves m are fixed to the projections g and h respectively, the outer metal sleeves n to the bearing eyes It and 1 respectively of the frame.

In the construction of the rear axle according to Fig. 2, the rubber rings have circular cross section. To absorb the shocks of the wheels one or more tension springs o areprovided, the two ends of which are connected to projections of the half axles d. The springs o are so arranged'that the two half axles d mutually'absorb the shocks wheels supported by these half axles. In a manner known per se a so-called compensating action of-the springs, absorbing the shocks of the wheels, is obtained hereby.

. According to the construction of the rear axle springs, absorbing the shocks of the wheels or the half axles respectively. and constructed for instance as non-guided helical springs bear with their upper ends against a beam q fixed therefore. together with the latter is mounted by means of the rubber rings-i and f in a. torsional elastic manner with regard to the rest of the vehicle. In the present 'case the rubber rings have an resiliency may thereby be chosen without the total resiliency assuming inadmissible large values.

The front wheels b may for instance, in a man nerknown per se, be suspended from the frame a by two links r arranged one above the other in the manner of link parallelograms and the shocks of these wheels may be absorbed by a helical spring s the lower end of which bears against the .lower link and the upper end of block fixed to the frame. To increase the safety of the frame when taking curves, a torsional rod-like spring u is, moreover, rotatably mounted in a tubular cross beam t of the frame, upon the ends. of which spring levers v are fixed, the free ends of which levers may in any suitable manner be connected to the wheel suspension, for instance to the wheel support or one of the guide links. This torsional rod-likespring u is deformed only if unequal lifting movements of the front wheels Occur.

- Owing to the'tor sional elastic connection of the rear axle aggregate to the frame'or to the carsbody respectively by means of the rubber. rings 1 and 1 unequally directed or unequal large lifting movements-of the rear wheels may partially. and mutually be ted without being transmitted to the frame or to the to thediiferential casing f and,

to the constructional examples shown. For instance, the individual features of the constructions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 could be exchanged one against the other by using for instancein the construction according to Fig. 2 ovally'con- Of course, the invention is not to be limited I structed rubber rings or by employing equalizing oval cross section so as to effect a progressively increasing elastic resistance when the nected to inner and outer springs o in the modification shown in Fig. 3 instead of the springs p or additionally thereto.

.Also instead of rubber rings individual rubber plates or the like arranged in similar manner may be provided.

Instead of the rear axle or simultaneously therewith, the front axle may be torsionally elastically connected to the rest .of the vehicle by elastic members.

The torsional elastic connection of the axle aggregate to the rest of the vehicle is of special importance when using gauge altering pendulum half axles. The torsional elastic connection, howa circle or in a ever, may be employed also in connection with other arrangements of oscillating axles or independent wheel suspensions and eventually in con nection with rigid axles too.

Having -now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that whatIclaim is:

1. In a vehicle having a frame, an axle aggregate including pivoted half-axles and a central member on which said half-axles are pivoted, and means for resiliently mounting said central member from the frame including bearing eyes depending from the frame, projections on said member extending longitudinally of the vehicle into said bearing-eyes, and rubber cushions encircling said pi'oiections and fitting within said bearing eyes.

2. A vehicle structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rubber cushions are adhesively conmetal sleeves and said sleeves are respectively secured to said projections and bearing eyes. 3. A vehicle structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said projections extend both forwardly gate is a gear-casing at the sides on which the half-axles are pivoted, and springs are provided between thev half-axles and lateral. projections on the gear-casing for additionally absorbin shocks acting upon the wheels. 

